


Legends of Glory

by Madara_Nycteris



Category: Captain America (Comics), Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Trailer, Captain America: The First Avenger, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Greek Mythology - Freeform, M/M, Mythology References, Post-Captain America: Civil War (Movie), Post-Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Post-Serum Steve Rogers, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Slash, Spoilers, Stucky - Freeform, The Iliad References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-30
Updated: 2017-11-30
Packaged: 2019-02-08 18:04:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,345
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12870060
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madara_Nycteris/pseuds/Madara_Nycteris
Summary: Steve had always loved mythology.Gods and great heroes, fighting, loving and intertwining their fates to give the human race a future seemed an amazing notion, but only then, standing on the frontline with the man who meant everything to him, he really understood what greatest legends were made of.





	Legends of Glory

Steve had always loved greek mythology. The concept of gods and great heroes, fighting, loving and intertwining their fates to give the human race a future was an amazing notion to him.  When he was a child, he admired Herakles, the legendary warrior who defeated all those terrible enemies like the nemean lion and the hydra, sometimes even against the will of gods.

Orpheus had been another big favorite of his young mind: a skilled and sensible artist who fought his way through hell just to rescue his beloved one. His heart had always clenched inside his chest whenever he read the part of the story when the beautiful Eurydice returned to hell. How could that be possible? He always thought he could have given the story a different end… Just like Pygmalion and Galatea’s tale. It was about a man who fell in love with the sculpture he crafted, day after day with so much patience and love that Galatea became an image of perfection. When Pygmalion woke Galatea up with a kiss, Steve used to smile.

Nonetheless, his favorite history had been the Iliad.

Achilles, the greatest hero ever known fought bravely for glory and fame. Steve could understand that, but, it was something he couldn’t even dream of. He was just a sick boy raised after a war, who would never transcend as a great warrior himself. His talent was never violence, but art, anyway.

He found Helen of Troy intriguing. How beautiful could have the princess to inspire a war between the greatest heroes of her time? He could never meet someone like that. However, his favorite character had always been Odysseus, the man who won a war thanks to his witty and sharp ideas, and returned home after many years. Well. He could do that.

Odysseus had Penelope. The beautiful queen who would wait for him, no matter what. She was loyal and smart, and the images of his books portrayed her with a long and silky brown hair. Her eyes were warm and lovely, and she was resourceful and brave. Holding his book against his thin frame, the young Steve Rogers had thought that Penelope was undoubtedly, the right partner for a man like Odysseus. He sighed.  Maybe someday, if he was heroic enough, he could find himself someone like Penelope.

The first war changed everything.

Amongst chaos and horror of the Second World War, Steve himself had become an improbable hero. He was nothing like those greek demigods, who had a divine origin, and memorable feats. He had done nothing except being too stubborn to say no when a man with a magic potion approached him. He just had been trying to do the right things his entire life, but the only thing that felt right in that moment had been following Bucky into battle.

It hadn’t been about fame or glory. He was no Achilles, but he had himself something he needed to keep safe. He needed to stand by Bucky’s side when it mattered the most. He needed to follow him, to live and die with him... Maybe he was Patroclus.

Steve had always been the second one in the duo. Bucky was his sun, and everything about him was bright and perfect. Everybody loved Bucky; the men obeyed him without hesitating, and yes, he was impossibly beautiful, too.   _Sure. Bucky must be Achilles. He is the one who deserves fame and glory. He deserves immortality._ Steve had thought one night, under the stars of freezing nights in the frontline.

It was devastating.

Steve had been seated in a bombarded pub, hours after _it_ happened. The rescue party had been looking for of Bucky after the fell, but now, all hope was lost. _The wolves,_ they had said. His hands were shaking, and his gaze was still unfocused. No one dared to interfere when Captain America retreated and walked into the ruins of the tavern.

There, all alone and still out of his mind, he looked nowhere until his eyes stopped in an image. It had been a painting, but now, there were only shreds of it.

 _No._ Steve gasped in realization

 _No!... No…_ a broken sob emerged from his throat.

 _God… No. No!!_ Steve cried, completely out of his mind

He remembered the image. It had been there when they met for drinking and having a good time days ago. It was one of those mythological scenes that were on vogue in many establishments in Europe those days. It had been a passage of the Iliad. The funerary pyre of Patroclus.

When he crashed the plane into the sea, as he heard the freezing water filling the compartments, he understood he would always be a legend. The world would remember him as a hero, a figure and an idea of bravery of sacrifice, but his true motives would always remain in secret. As his lungs started filling with water, he remembered himself thinking one last time about Bucky’s kisses.

 *

A new era, and a new mission. Steve woke up being already a legend. He wanted to be brave and invincible like Herakles, not just for him, but for the ones who once knew him; the ones who trusted him, and even more… For hope. He was now a symbol for future generations, and an ideal, but his own burden was too heavy to lift it alone. Maybe he could be like Jason, leading a team of heroes, defeating the evil in this world, and maybe, just maybe, they could become real legends.

*

When they found each other again, Steve realized how his own heroic history had been just a huge lie. His Bucky, the real reason he became more than he was, stood right in front of him, looking blankly, and lost. He had been broken and reshaped for someone else’s purposes. Steve promised himself he would never let him return to Hydra. He had rescued Bucky from hell once. just to watch him turn to stone in front of his eyes. He wouldn’t be Orpheus.

Bucky was his only goal. He would follow him trying to reach him with the sound of his lyre. Miraculously, for once, fortune smiled to him, and his love song broke the spell. However, the story was far from a happy ending.

His quest had been long and painful, but after years of struggle, the reality was very different. his beautiful Bucky was not Eurydice anymore. He had returned from hell by his own foot. Like the warrior he was, and he was in the middle of a race for his life and his freedom.... _Just like Atalanta_ , Steve had thought, he would endure anything just to reach him, and just like Hypomenes, he would also throw any golden treasure at his beloved’s feet just to set him free.

Steve would never stop following Bucky. Constantly. Stubbornly He tried and tried more fiercely each time… _Maybe, I’m more like Icarus_ , he had thought bitterly, when his love flew from him one more time. He would prefer burning himself to death, or get his arms ripped before losing him.

Not again.

His hope had leaded him to fight against his own friends. A great battle between heroes took place, and Steve’s only desire was saving his love. When he clashed against Iron Man, he felt not like Achilles, battling in front of the walls of Troy. He was Hector, ready to kill or die defending his most beloved treasure from imminent destruction, his love. His only home.

He wouldn’t be Hector. After the battle, he wouldn’t be a hero to the world. His name would be a forbidden and despised word. He didn’t care. His thriumph was much bigger. Bucky was safe and alive by his side.

The last time Bucky left him, his heart covered with ice. His life became an empty shell of what it was once. He was not a hero anymore; maybe he was nothing at all, but a simple man who tried to do what he thought it was right for the one he loved. Only love had guided him his entire life, but his beloved was not with him anymore.

Steve waited patiently, and day after day, he was convinced his beloved would come back to him. His faith never faded. An evening, a year ago, seated next to Bucky’s frozen coffin, he considered he was a bit like Penelope himself. He prayed for his own story to have the happy ending they deserved.

*

Not long ago, King T’challa called to his private chambers, and announced a beautiful notice. Steve’s heart felt warmer in every heartbeat when he was leaded to the place where his Bucky would be awaken. He looked at his beloved. Cold, pale and devastatingly beautiful, like a marble statue. Bucky was the greatest image of perfection Steve could recall, and now, in front of him, his soft lips started to regain color. For more than a year, his biggest dream had been this moment, and then, softly, like Pygmalion, Steve kissed his beloved Galatea back to life.

When Bucky opened his eyes, Steve knew he would never be apart again.

*

Steve Rogers stood still among many other humans, just waiting for the battle call of King T’challa; they were not men, women, black or white. Just humans, defending what they loved, all of them equal. Real heroes. Bucky Barnes was there, by his side on the frontline. His eyes met.

A night ago, they had been in the royal palace of Wakanda, with the rest of their team. A new war had just started, and now, the whole world was the loot. After the meeting, Steve and Bucky retreated silently to their room.

**“Buck.”**

**“Yes, honey?”** He had said, trying to smile.

**“Tomorrow… there’s something I need to ask to you”**

**“What is it?”** Bucky frowned slightly. He knew this man more than anyone, and he could swear he already knew the next words.

**“I can’t let you fight tomorrow”**

_What the hell?._

_Come on, punk!  I am The fucking Winter Soldier!_

_I am more suited for a bloodshed than anyone else here._

_You can’t decide for me, Steve._

_Just watch me._

All those sentences were never said. They had no time to waste, and Bucky just sighed, and quietly cupped Steve’s cheeks with his hands. Their eyes met, and Bucky could see there all the suffering and the pain inside. A life of longing. Two wars and a century after their first kiss, Steve had been waiting patiently for him. He had always followed him. He would never leave his side.

Everything Bucky knew was that they could be apart again, and their last moments together shouldn’t be bitter. This would be their decisive moment, so, Bucky’s smile turned soft and affectionate.

 **“You already went to a war for me.”** Bucky said, trying to sound casual. **“And then, you started another for me.  Since Helen of Troy, the world had not seen so many heroes fighting each other for a single person. You know?”**

Steve barely smiled. **“It’s just that  I can’t do this if you are there one more time”** Steve’s voice was tense and for a moment, Bucky truly believed he was about to break.

**“I won’t leave you fight alone. We are inseparable, do you remember? I’ll be there with you till the end of the line. I’ve told you so many times that you should start believing me.”**

**“I know, Buck, but I’ve lost you too many times too.”** His eyes dropped a single tear **“I can’t… I am not a hero”** Steve hugged Bucky like the last piece of his life **“I can’t be that strong.”**

**“Steve.”**

His partner didn’t answer, lost in Bucky’s warmth. A soft nod was all the response he could obtain. It was time, and he spoke. His voice was still muffled in Steve’s shoulder.

**“Will you marry me?**

The blond just looked at Bucky with a mixture of astonishment and disbelief. They had been together a life ago. His love was known by everyone around them, and they were on the verge of a war. The unspoken question was floating between them.

_Why now?_

_Because I want to be with you forever. I won’t fall, because I’ll be protecting what’s most important to me._ That would be a lie. A specially cruel one, when both of them had already known the taste of death, and they’ve returned, just to discover their lives becoming a tragedy over and over again. Instead, Bucky looked at his eyes. There was only absolute confidence and love in them. Nothing more.

 **“Because I need the world to know that once, I belonged to you.”** Bucky smiled bravely. **“If there is a future for the human race after this, I need the survivors to know that love is what heroes fight for. Through us, they’ll remember how strong can be love.**

**Because they deserve to know that the greatest love story of our times was real, and not just a myth.**

**… Please, Stevie”**

Right then and there, Steve understood.

He really understood the greatest legends he used to read in his childhood. And just like Odysseus, he needed to return to the arms of his only love. His home. Even after havoc and despair, he needed to be again with the beautiful creature who once inspired a War among heroes. The one who he would follow to Hell, and back. The love of his life. The only image of perfection he had known. The hero. His partner. _Patroclus, Eurydice, Helen, Penelope. Atalanta. Galatea._

_Bucky._

_His Bucky_

**“Yes. A thousand times yes”** He said, throwing himself in Bucky’s arms. They sealed their promise with a kiss, as tender as the first... As passionate as the ones they would share in their wedding night.

Steve took his hand as they walked into the corridor. King T’challa had been already waiting for them. The ceremony was short and lovely, and after that, they both knew it. No matter what future would hold, their story would become a legend.

**Author's Note:**

> Bucky and Steve standing side by side before the battle was one of the best thing I could have expected in IW trailer. It made me thing about legendary pairings like Achilles and Patroclus (I'm a big fan of mythology, so, this scalated quickly).  
> HOPE YOU LIKE THIS. KUDOS AND COMMENTS ARE LOVE!!! =)
> 
> *Not an english speaker, so, If you think grammar is a bit weird, possibly it is, but hey... This fandom is the best, and I'm proud to write for it. Thanks for reading my ficlets!!


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